FILMMAKERS​​

Terry Dawson is a Los Angeles based filmmaker. Most recently Terry was Film Independent’s Project Involve 2021 Writer/Director fellow where he developed and filmed his narrative short The Mason Ring. Terry made his directorial debut with an award-winning web series comedy he created A Whole New Irving, which landed in development at HBO. Prior to this transition into the scripted space, Terry worked in documentary films as an Editor and Producer on titles including Kiss The Ground (Netflix,) The Lost City Of The Monkey God (Discovery+,) and The Hadza; Last Of The First (Journeyman Films,) focusing on subjects ranging from environmental awareness to the challenges of marginalized ethnics groups in Africa and Brazil. Although his roots are in the documentary space, Terry’s deep love for narrative content spurred his recent endeavors into the scripted world, and he has plans to write and direct both film and television that tell stories of people of color that represent them in their full dimensionality and scope, while expanding consciousness on issues of global, environmental, and social relevance. A Washington, DC native, Dawson received a BA in Film from Hofstra University and did graduate work at Howard University.

Fiona's mission is to generate impactful stories that promote empathy and social change. Most recently the 2nd Unit Production Manager on HETV series 'Queen Charlotte', a Shondaland/Netflix Bridgerton spin-off. In 2021 Fiona completed her role as Series Associate Producer on the IDA award-winning Netflix series ‘My Love: Six Stories of True Love’, which was named among the Best of 2021 by IndieWire. A Producer Fellow on Film Independent's signature diversity and mentoring program, Project Involve where she produced two award-winning shorts 'The Mason Ring' and 'All I Ever Wanted', and a fellow of the Women in Film Mentee program. Other experience includes BFI NETWORK and Tribeca Film Institute Pond5 funded 'Our Sister', which won the British Short Film competition at Leeds International Film Festival '20. Pilot presentation 'Distemper' supported by the Alfred P Sloan Foundation, based on the true story of pathologist Dr. Louise Pearce.  

Nicole Mairose Dizon is a Filipina-American artist from Los Angeles, who elevates bold narratives and views inclusive storytelling as radical self-care. Graduating Cum Laude with a Film and Media Studies B.A. from UC Irvine, she freelanced for Apple TV+ and more. She is a Kundiman Fellow and NALIP’s Emerging Content Creator Scholar. Among her shorts that have screened nationwide, Boxed was selected as a Starz and Wrap Women: Telling Our Stories Semi-Finalist. She previously assisted Motion Picture Production Partner Lara Sackett at ICM Partners and was recently promoted from Writers' Production Assistant to Showrunner’s Assistant on Amazon's Blade Runner 2099. An Individual Artist Fellow for the inaugural 2021 California Arts Council Fellowship Dizon's work often explores deconstructing colonial mentality, mental health, and flawed family dynamics. Outside of work, she hikes, creates art, and watches baseball and F1 racing.

Ciara Wardlow is a creative producer and freelance writer based in Los Angeles, and a 2021 Film Independent executive fellow. A graduate of Wellesley College, she is an executive assistant at Paramount Pictures and was previously the development coordinator at the production company Maven Screen Media (AMERICAN HONEY, THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER). Her film reviews and other writings have appeared in a variety of outlets including RogerEbert.com, The Hollywood Reporter, Film School Rejects, and Pajiba.

Ino Yang Popper is a Director of Photography based in Los Angeles. She is a Cinematography Fellow in the class of 2020 at the American Film Institute. Ino has been featured by Panavision and major press such as Deadline and Variety. Her recent 35mm film Border was selected for Telluride Film Festival in 2020. She holds a BA in Directing & Editing from the Beijing Film Academy and an MFA in Directing & Screenwriting from the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing. She integrated her past experience in directing, editing, and screenwriting into advancing the craft of cinematography with a unique voice in visual storytelling,

Tian Jiao Zi "Selinda" Zhou graduated with an MFA in Film Editing from the American Film Institute, under the guidance of Oscar nominee Matt Chesse and Lynzee Klingman. Zhou holds a B.A. in Culture & Expression and a diploma in Digital Media Arts in Canada. Her work has been nominated and has received awards in over a hundred major film festivals internationally. Most notably, the short film she edited named Miller and Son was shortlisted for the 92nd Oscar Awards, The film also won the gold medal Student Academy Award, the BAFTA Student Film Award. In 2021, a film she edited called Oneironaut got into Diversity in Cannes Film Festival.